Air Source Heat Pump Evaluation in Vermont by VT-DPS

VT-Department of Public Service found, after a survey of 77 HPs installed in 65 Vermont buildings:

- The annual energy cost savings were, on average, $200/y, but the annual maintenance, and annual amortizing costs (at 3.5%/y for 15 years) would turn that gain into a loss of at least $200/y.

- On average, the HPs provided 27.6% of the annual space heat, and traditional fuels provided 72.4%. These numbers are directly from the survey data. The small percentage of displaced fossil fuel heat indicates HPs would not be effective CO2 reducers in the cold climate of Vermont, if used in average VT houses.

- Owners started to turn off their HPs at about 28F to 30F, because their past experience showed significant increases in electricity bills, if they had not turned them off.

- Very few owners were using their HPs at 10F and below, as shown by the decreasing kWh consumption totals on figure 14 of URL.

- At those temperatures, the hourly cost of operating HPs exceeded the hourly cost of using a traditional heating system.

- This statement is true for average Vermont houses, which comprise about 90% of the Vermont housing stock.

https://publicservice.vermont.gov/sites/dps/files/documents/2017%20...

- On average, an HP consumed 2,085 kWh during the heating season, of which:

1) To outdoor unit (compressor, outdoor fan, controls) + indoor air handling unit (fan and supplemental electric heater, if used), to provide space heat 1,880 kWh;

2) Standby mode 76 kWh, or 100 x 76/2085 = 3.6%;

3) Defrost mode 129 kWh, or 100 x 129/2085 = 6.2%. Defrost starts at about 37F and ends at about 10F.

- Turnkey cost for a one-head HP system is about $4,500; almost all houses had just one HP, which would be insufficient to heat an entire house. See URLs.

On average, these houses were highly unsuitable for HPs, and the owners were losing money.

http://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/cost-savings-of-air-sou...

NOTE: Coefficient of Performance, COP = heat delivered to house/electrical energy to HP

See page 10 of URL

https://mn.gov/commerce-stat/pdfs/card-air-source-heat-pump.pdf

Displaced Fuel Percentage of Vermont Heat Pumps, based on survey

As a result of a few years of complaints by various HP users, mainly about energy cost savings being much less than stated on the RE websites of Efficiency Vermont, GMP, VPIRG, etc., VT-DPS was ordered by the Vermont Legislature to hire a consultant to perform a survey.

CADMUS, the consultant, gathered the operating data of 77 HPs at 65 sites, to determine annual energy cost savings of the heat pumps.

CADMUS calculated:

- Space heat to all sites was 65 x 92 million Btu/site = 5,980 million Btu from all fuels. See URL, page 22

- Heat from HPs was 77 x 21.4 million Btu/HP = 1,648 million Btu. See URL, page 21

- Traditional systems provided 5980 – 1648 = 4,332 million Btu, or 4332/5980 = 72.4% of the total space heat.

This proves ASHPs, in average VT houses, are an expensive, non-solution regarding: 1) reducing CO2, 2) fighting climate change, and 3) saving the world.

Such "non-solutions" are the inevitable result of self-serving, subsidy-seeking, RE businesses working together with career RE bureaucrats, behind closed doors

https://publicservice.vermont.gov/sites/dps/files/documents/2017%20...

The energy cost savings were an average of about $200/HP per year, instead of the $1,200/y to $1,800/y bandied about by RE folks and Efficiency Vermont, GMP, VPIRG, VT-DPS, VEIC, etc.

After the CADMUS report, those estimates disappeared from the websites.

All the data in Table 1 are from the CADMUS report. See URLs.

http://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/air-source-heat-pumps-a...

http://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/fact-checking-regarding...

http://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/vermont-baseless-claims...

APPENDIX 1

HEAT PUMPS ARE MONEY LOSERS IN MY VERMONT HOUSE, AS THEY ARE IN ALMOST ALL NEW ENGLAND HOUSES

https://www.windtaskforce.org/profiles/blogs/heat-pumps-are-money-l...